Pensioners in Abia Wednesday ended their 3-day prayer and fasting with a reminder to the state governor, Alex Otti to honour his electioneering promise of paying them their pension arrears and their gratuity.

Speaking on the occasion, the Coordinator of the Pensioners under the aegis of Abia Pensioners’ Forum, Barr Okey Kanu said the prayer session was a way of “seeking the intervention of Jesus Christ” and engaging God to prevail on Otti to “restore and pay our arrears of pension and gratuity as promised during the governor’s campaign in 2015, 2019, and 2023”.

“On coming into office, this administration purported to have waived or forfeited the said arrears of pension and gratuity sequel to the illegal Memorandum of Agreement it purportedly signed with the State NUP Exco.

“We believe that our Governor is-toeing the current line based on wrong advice; hence our continued plea that he should revisit and rescind same. It is a mark of godliness and strength rather than weakness. We are encouraged to agitate for this because this is our Government, as pensioners, their families and indeed all Abians sympathetic to our plight played a major role in bringing it to being.

“Our grievance stems from Government’s position that we waived or forfeited these retirement benefits sequel to the said Memorandum of Agreement. But at the same time, Government has refused to comply with Paragraph 7(a) of the Agreement which stipulates that in case of any dispute arising from the Agreement, the parties shall meet to resolve same by mutual negotiation. Government had refused to convene a meeting in this regard.

“This meeting is particularly necessary because our State NUP Exco had denied entering into any agreement with Government to waive or forfeit our arrears of pension, especially gratuity. But the strange position adopted by Government as revealed by the Governor during his last Media Chat on 7/11/2024 is that before the Agreement can be revisited, the State NUP must return the money paid to them.

“This pronouncement is vague because it is unclear if Government meant the arrears accumulated by the present administration as paid in March, 2024 or any other money paid to the State NUP Exco. If the former, it is misconceived because what was paid to pensioners in March, 2024 was the arrears owed to them as accumulated by the present administration. Greater part of the arrears remain untouched; hence our agitation for same to be paid. However, if the latter is the position, then the payment is illegal as it is construed to be bribe in which case the giver and receiver are liable. This does not in any way concern pensioners”, Barr. Kanu said.

The pensioners pleaded, “Nevertheless, we continue to plead with Government in the following order: (a) To pay the arrears of pension and gratuity as it promised; or (b) To pay same by installments (as done to tertiary institutions in the State) if Government do not have enough funds to pay same at once; or (c) To leave the said arrears for a benevolent future administration in the State that may decide to clear same. But to say that these retirement benefits are waived or forfeited after 35 years of labour is ungodly because the Bible says that a labourer deserves his wage”.

Earlier in his admonition of the pensioners, Pastor Success Obinya of the City Liberation Centre, Aba who quoted the bible book of Proverbs Chapter 21 v 1, “because the heart of kings are in the hands of God, God will step in and bring them in the right path, even when your case may seem helpless” and urged God to swallow any enemy that said that pensioners will not receive their pensions and gratuity.

According to a pensioner, Nzimiro Nwokocha, “All have worked and retired. They way pensioners are treated is nothing to write home about, particularly in Abia where we are treated as dead woods. many of us are sick”.

They offered fervent prayers for Gov. Otti, Abia State, Nigeria and “for the arrears of pension and gratuity”, and prayed God to send his angels to remind Otti to pay them according to his promise.